Texas Ballet Theater will present five performances of its popular Cinderella this weekend at Bass Performance Hall. The company gave several performances of the ballet in Richardson’s Eisemann Center earlier this month.
TBT artistic director Ben Stevenson choreographed Cinderella in 1970 for the Washington National Ballet, which he had joined the year before. Using Sergei Prokofiev’s sumptuous 1945 score, it was his first attempt at setting a full-length ballet. A phenomenal success from the beginning, his Cinderella still plays regularly in the United States and around the world.
Current scenery was designed by Thomas Boyd for the Houston Ballet while Stevenson was company director there. The original lighting, by Christina R. Gianelli, has been recreated here by Lisa Miller.
Leticia Oliveira will dance the title role opening night, with Andre Silva as her Prince. The Brazilian duo has brought extra sparkle to TBT performances this season with Silva’s return from a too-long absence. Joining them will be Carl Coomer and Alexander Kotelenets as a comic parody of the ugly sisters. An extra plus will be the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra performing in the pit, led by Michael Moricz, TBT’s regular conductor. –– Leonard Eureka
